The public hearing, which begins at 7 p.m., will be held at the Craven County Courthouse. The Wildlife Resources Commission also has scheduled a staff presentation 30 minutes before the hearing to discuss statewide black bear management objectives. The 6:30 p.m. presentation and discussion will give background information about rule proposals that further objectives in the North Carolina Black Bear Management Plan, 2012-2022. The plan assists the Wildlife Commission in managing bear hunting to maintain healthy bear populations consistent with habitat where bears occur, and balancing the consideration of stakeholders.

Other hunting proposals make changes to the Western Archery Deer Season, and adjust regulations for black powder firearms and crossbows.

Of interest to anglers is a statewide proposed regulation that encourages private landowners to allow public angler access to inland fishing waters through their property under an agreement with the Commission. The proposal provides landowners the ability to prescribe allowable activities on their property. Each area will be clearly marked with signs identifying activities allowed.

Another statewide proposed fishing regulation will provide anglers the option to label trotlines, set hooks and jug hooks with their names and addresses or with their WRC customer numbers. Allowing anglers to use their WRC customer numbers will help protect privacy by limiting the personal information required on the labels.

The “Public Hearings Applying to 2014-2015 Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Seasons” booklet, which provides a detailed list of all 42 proposed regulations, along with a comment form, is available online.

The schedule for the 2014-2015 public hearings is below. Meetings to discuss the six bear proposals begin at 6:30 p.m. Public hearings begin at 7 p.m.

DATE

DISTRICT

CITY

LOCATION

Jan. 7

4

Dublin

Bladen Community College

Auditorium

7418 N.C. Hwy. 41W

Dublin, N.C. 28332

Jan. 8

5

Graham

Courthouse

212 W Elm St.

Graham, N.C. 27253

Jan. 9

6

Norwood

South Stanly High School

40488 South Stanly School Rd. Norwood, N.C. 28128

Jan. 14

9

Murphy

Tri-County Community College

Enloe Multi-purpose Room

21 Campus Circle,

Murphy, N.C. 28906

Jan. 15

8

Newton

1924 Courthouse

Catawba County Museum of History

30 N College Ave.

Newton, N.C. 28658

Jan. 16

7

Wilkesboro

The Walker Center

Wilkes Community College

1328 S. Collegiate Dr.

Wilkesboro, N.C. 28697

Jan. 21

1

Edenton

Swain Auditorium

200 E. Church St.

Edenton, N.C. 27932

Page 2 of 2 - Jan. 22

2

New Bern

Craven County Courthouse

302 Broad St.

New Bern, N.C. 28560

Jan. 23

3

Rocky Mount

Nash Community College

Brown Auditorium

522 North Old Carriage Rd.

Rocky Mount, N.C. 27804

About the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Since 1947, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has been dedicated to the conservation and sustainability of the state’s fish and wildlife resources through research, scientific management, wise use, and public input. The Commission is the state regulatory agency responsible for the enforcement of fishing, hunting, trapping and boating laws and provides programs and opportunities for wildlife-related educational, recreational and sporting activities. To learn more, visit www.ncwildlife.org.

Get N.C. Wildlife Update — news including season dates, bag limits, legislative updates and more — delivered free to your Inbox from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Go to www.ncwildlife.org/enews.